This is one part of the lyrics Numb, sang by the millennials’ favourite Linkin Park. Funnily, it was also the lyrics our Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik posted on Instagram on Tuesday (Nov 27). In fact, the academic Minister posted the entire lyrics and the post had attained over 700 comments.

Some netizens are asking if he was alright due to the nature of the song which connotes restlessness and the struggles between expectation and disappointment. It surely didn’t help that the band’s lead singer Chester Bennington tragically committed suicide July last year.

Of course, many students and Malaysians alike came flooding the comment section with positive remarks, hoping to cheer up the seemingly melancholic Minister.

“We are with you all the way, Dr. Keep up your good work. Rome was not built in one Day,” said another who is an Ancient studies enthusiast. We are joking about the latter.

“Be strong. Be positive. Me bold. Be smart. Just be YOU, big boss ❤️ The more people talk about you, I realized the more I like you. Haha… Maybe we are in the same shoes? Sabarla Dr, tak semua orang suka perubahan kan. Allah bersama orang yang solat dan sabar. (Persist Dr, not everybody likes changes right? The God will be with those who pray and patient) 🤗 #DareToBeDifferent,” wrote a high school student.

“Thank you for your passion and contribution, though you may have made some mistakes, you have tried your best. Maybe you lack some experience, but everyday is a good lesson for us. Maybe people misunderstood you, but they can see your passion,” wrote another student who’s from a Chinese vernacular school.

Talk about maturity, it seems like our younger generation is very understanding! No wonder our Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq wants to push eligible voting age to 18-years-old.

Link to the Spotify playlist, a most eclectic one ranging from Maszlee’s preferred emo 2000s tracks to some more optimistic pop bops: https://t.co/cF4G2ZawQI

One netizen, or more specifically a photojournalist and media-cum-political analyst, Amirul Ruslan took the effort to compile a mixtape on Spotify with songs from the 2000s and older. The playlist is called “Maszlee Music: educational tunes” but don’t be fooled by the zen-pool album photo, as it’s not one of those calm music you listen as white noise to focus on your study. It has some thought-provoking songs as well as some diss-track to the haters.

In the 24-song playlist, it has the three-part Another Brick in the Wall song by Pink Floyd which is often dubbed as the rebellious anthem among students where the chorus goes, “Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone.” The full lyrics of the song sure does reflect a lot of the policies Dr Maszlee is pushing.

In a follow-up tweet, Amirul said that the Education Minister can “open his ears to some songs to keep him going through the work day”.

Dr Maszlee responded to the dedicated playlist the next day on Instagram, saying that he has been “listening to my current favourite playlist dedicated to me by the people.”

The minister quipped that his work doesn’t revolve entirely on black school shoes and he posted along eight slides of infographics on things he wants to change in Malaysia’s education system.

The comment section is yet again flooded with positive comments. After going through the slides, one netizen wrote, “I love the changes you bring to Malaysia’s education system.. I know your intention is pure and want to improve our education system. Thank you, YB.

“To those people who mock and makes fun of you, don’t mind them, YB. I’m sure a lot of people out there actually supporting what you are doing for better quality of malaysian generation. Thank you again. 💙”